By Nancy Thorner –
President Joe Biden is facing fresh criticism after his administration finally released illegal immigrant apprehension numbers from September 2022, showing the number of arrests soared to a record high.
More than 2.3 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border in fiscal year 2022, breaking the record Biden’s administration set a year ago by 37%. The total of the two record-setting years of illegal migration under the Biden administration is now 4.7 million.
That figure includes 3.8 million illegals apprehended by Customs and Border Protection and more than 900,000 known illegals that have escaped Border Patrol, suggesting the number of illegal migrants coming to the U.S. under Biden is likely even higher than his administration reports.
As predictably happens when bad news is involved, illegal migrant border crossing data was released on October 20th — a Friday night — to avert heavy news coverage.
RNC press release
The news was pounced upon the next day by the Republican National Committee.
As RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote in a statement:
“This is a failure Joe Biden and Democrats created a humanitarian crisis at our southern border that only worsens, yet they can’t be bothered to fix it.”
“As Democrats turn a blind eye to the devastation they created, Americans face the consequences every day as deadly fentanyl pours into our neighborhoods and crime surges across the country. Republicans know families deserve to feel safe, but it’s clear Democrats couldn’t care less.”
The September totals were the highest number of illegal crossings in the Department of Homeland Security history (spanning two decades and put in place by former President George W. Bush after 9/11), despite September traditionally being one of the months in which illegal immigration slows due to weather and other patterns.
Additional data from the RNC press release:
- 374% increase from the average number of September apprehensions during the Trump administration.
- 11,900 unaccompanied children were apprehended.
- 128,121 illegal immigrants were apprehended from countries outside the Northern Triangle and Mexico, showing that Biden’s crisis is global.
- 98 people on the terror watchlist have been apprehended trying to enter the U.S. between ports of entry since the fiscal year began last October.
- 1,826 pounds of deadly fentanyl (414 million doses – enough to kill everyone in the U.S.) and 10,612 pounds of methamphetamine were seized at the southern border in September alone, with much more likely getting through.
- More fentanyl has crossed the border in the last two months under Biden than in all of fiscal year 2019 under former President Donald Trump’s leadership.
More public statements about open border crossings
The September number “reflects an accelerating pace of apprehensions when they should be declining seasonally,” Steven Kopits, president of Princeton Policy Advisors, said in a statement.
“This speaks to both a strong U.S. labor market and deteriorating enforcement at the border.”
“Over the past 21 months, we have witnessed the devastating harm wrought by a rogue administration that is asserting near-dictatorial powers in a relentless effort to keep our borders open,” R.J. Hauman, head of government relations and communications for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said in a statement.
“The endless flow of illegal immigrants and the incursion of lethal narcotics pouring across our border will not end until this administration demonstrates a willingness to secure the border and enforce the law.”
The Biden administration’s 2022 illegal migrant total is a 419% increase over the Trump administration.
Early voting and open borders
As early voting is already underway in many states, might the numbers prove to be potentially tough for Democrat candidates ahead of the midterm elections?
Although the economy and inflation seem to be the issues most Americans are concerned about, the flood of illegal immigrants and drugs coming over the U.S.–Mexico border constitutes an “invasion,” according to a majority of respondents in an NPR/Ipsos poll, especially true among Republican voters.
More than half, or 54 percent, said they believe it’s true or “somewhat true” that the U.S. is experiencing an invasion at the border. Republicans were much more likely to say the statement is true, with 76 percent agreeing, compared to 40 percent of Democrats and 46 percent of independents.
Democrats were most likely to say the statement is completely false, and independents were most likely to say they didn’t know.
Seven out of 10 Republicans said that fentanyl and other drugs being brought over the border are responsible for the increase in overdoses and deaths, along with 35 percent of Democrats and 45 percent of independents.
A majority of Republicans also agreed with the statement the United States has “an open border policy”, and that there is a “deep state,” or embedded political class, working to open the borders to more immigrants.
